Wisconsin Rapids Man Charged with Christmas Burglary in Plover

A 23-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man has been charged with the Christmas Day burglary of the Club Forest in Plover.

Eric Pavloski allegedly broke into the bar on Dec. 25 of last year. Pavloski made an initial appearance before Judge John Finn on Monday and faces up to 12 and a half years in prison as well as a $25,000 fine if convicted.

According to the incident report, Portage County Sheriff’s deputies found a broken window and piece of the bar’s cash register on the ground when they responded to an alarm at the bar. There were also footprints on the entryway door, as though someone attempted to kick the door down. The suspect eventually gained access through the broken window.

The bar’s security footage showed a single suspect breaking in through a window and attempting to open the cash register. After failing to break it open, the suspect fled the scene with it.

Deputies were later contacted by the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department who said they had a suspect in custody for a rash of burglaries in Wisconsin Rapids. That suspect was identified as Pavloski, who admitted to the police that he had also broken into Club Forest and abandoned the cash register in a ditch.

Deputies later located the broken cash register in a ditch on 80th Street in Wisconsin Rapids. Club Forest’s owner said the register and its contents were worth over $1,000.

Pavloski is also facing misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal damage to property. He was freed on a $5,000 signature bond and is due back in court on June 15.